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Ben Dixon's avatar

It's a fairly niche topic and I'm not sure how much academic work has been done looking explicitly at a comparison of the Western Rite mass to modern or ancient liturgies. But I'm not also not sure that is needed. You can grab a St. Andrews Service Book, which is the WR service book for the Antiochians, and analyze it next to Catholic and Anglican missals; looking at the texts side by side, the differences are minimal.

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Mike Lacy's avatar

Great article. I've been Orthodox 20+yrs and a move 5yrs compelled ne to go to a Western Rite Church. It was like nails on a Chalkboard to this former Catholic Altar Boy trained in the Tridentine Mass.

It's my understanding it was only ever meant to be a bridge for entire Protestant congregations to convert.

In the 21st Century in the USA, the on-the-ground reality is Western Rite is death for parish growth. No one seeking the Ancient Faith is drawn to Western Rite. I've seen the disappointment in visitors (Orthodox and just inquirers). My own wife only barely attends. "It's not Orthodox " she says.

We're the only canonical Orthodox parish for 2+hrs in any direction. We have Schismatic stealing the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostum and they're catching the inquirers who don't understand what Canonical means.

If we don't become normative Orthodox in the next year or so, our parish will die.

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